Is this considered severe driving?

[mclasser]

Cousin's 03 Maxima w/140K miles.

An 8 mile daily roundtrip commute @35-40 MPH. Highway trip of ~15 miles every 10 days or so.

Car sees quick lube oil changes every 5K. Is his driving style considered "severe?" Should he dial it back to 4K? I'm going recommend he get a UOA done next time.

 

[RooflessVW]

I wouldn't worry about it, and I don't see anything wrong with what he's doing.

 

[horse123]

Originally Posted By: mclasser
Cousin's 03 Maxima w/140K miles.

An 8 mile daily roundtrip commute @35-40 MPH. Highway trip of ~15 miles every 10 days or so.

Car sees quick lube oil changes every 5K. Is his driving style considered "severe?" Should he dial it back to 4K? I'm going recommend he get a UOA done next time.





Yes, that is too short for the engine to properly warm up.

 

[Quattro Pete]

His driving patterns are similar to mine. I change my oil once a year, using synthetic.

 

[69GTX]

I drive similarly doing 6K-8K miles per year and lots of 3-7 mile trips. I change the oil twice annually with synthetic at $2/qt.

I'd consider it short tripping/severe service....especially in the northeast. If you're in the Carolinas or lower, 5K OCI's is probably ok.

 

[Bgallagher]

Eh, less than ideal but fine. At highway miles the engine should have warmed up enough to remove any moisture. Change it every year and he should be fine

 

[BISCUT]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
His driving patterns are similar to mine. I change my oil once a year, using synthetic.


Different gen engine for sure but I still believe that Maxima, similar to my 07 is pretty rough on oil. Some engines tear it up compared to others.

 

[dlayman]

In moderate, warm weather, I would say no. If this is the routine at 0 degrees C or colder, its getting close. The owners manual should define pretty specifically what Nissan considers "severe", for whatever that's worth.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: dlayman
In moderate, warm weather, I would say no. If this is the routine at 0 degrees C or colder, its getting close. The owners manual should define pretty specifically what Nissan considers "severe", for whatever that's worth.


+1. If you're in a colder climate, I think I'd be doing a longer drive at least once a week.

 

[raytseng]

car already made it 140k miles; sounds like it is fine. what are you trying to "save" at this point?

Did the cousin ask for your advice? or are you just offering it?

 

[4WD]

Seems it is getting to operating temp enough etc ...
Don't call it anything and change oil on a convenient day close to 5k ...

 

[gregk24]

That is considered short tripping and falls into the "severe service" category.

 

[4WD]

Right - all of mine reach OT in a mile or two at 45 mph ...

 

[MarcS]

Originally Posted By: 4WD
Right - all of mine reach OT in a mile or two at 45 mph ...


so you think. Coolant reaches temperature much faster than oil.

Just the other day (~40-50* outdoor temp) I kept an eye on my oil temps via the OBDII port on a 15 minute/5 mile drive around town with a few minutes warming up in the driveway. In 15 minutes the hottest the oil got was 155*. By the time the coolant had reached temperature a few minutes into the drive the oil temp was only 80-90*. This is also a VQ engine like the Maxima.

 

[Kuato]

Rough routine, but a 5k interval he should be good. UOA to be sure will not hurt though....

 

[mjoekingz28]

Originally Posted By: MarcS
Originally Posted By: 4WD
Right - all of mine reach OT in a mile or two at 45 mph ...


so you think. Coolant reaches temperature much faster than oil.

Just the other day (~40-50* outdoor temp) I kept an eye on my oil temps via the OBDII port on a 15 minute/5 mile drive around town with a few minutes warming up in the driveway. In 15 minutes the hottest the oil got was 155*. By the time the coolant had reached temperature a few minutes into the drive the oil temp was only 80-90*. This is also a VQ engine like the Maxima.



Thanks for the data!

 

[4WD]

Understand - screen readout on industrial engines show this effect ...
This is pretty close to my driving pattern on all vehicles - yet OLM's would let me go 7k on all of them.
(Ford & GM) ... based on minimum spec oil ...
I tend to do the GDI's at 5k regardless ...

So what sensor are the various OLM's going by - or does it vary make by make ?

 

[BrocLuno]

Originally Posted By: raytseng
car already made it 140k miles; sounds like it is fine. what are you trying to "save" at this point?

Did the cousin ask for your advice? or are you just offering it?


Trying to get the next 140K ...